Diversity in the United States
Christina Bell
University of Phoenix
Diversity in the United States
The information about diversity in the US has only opened my eyes. I have been living in the US for the past many years but I failed to notice that there are so many people belonging to different cultures and religions who ;live here together in unison (Waters, 2006). This amazes me and I feel that I respect the people around me all the more in that learning about the history of different immigrant minorities has convinced me that these people have as much the right over the US as any other American. I think it is incredible that US, which is the Empire of note and was formed on the principle of individuality, is truly a very diverse nation and is living in much harmony than any other country in the world.
Yes, I have learned something new about my own community as well. I learned that much of the white culture today is influence by the black culture which is relatively richer. Africans give a lot of respect to their traditions and these are deeply rooted in their culture. African Americans have come a long way and fought for their education, health, well being and other rights. The major source of introduction of new generation to the age old but much valued traditions of Black Americans is storytelling. The elders of the family are always telling stories of the life of Blacks in the US in the past. I also found out that Black Americans have a very rich contribution in the art and music of the US. The Africans had a great aesthetic sense and used their artistic abilities to portray the discriminations that they had to face because of their color.
I think the population in the year 2050 will be a lot more diverse than it is today. This is to say that the diversification will be positive for the US in that the population will eventually grow to accept each other and the rights of minorities will be restored. Although, the US home office has revised the immigration policy and has made it all the more stringent, they are still granting visas to those cases that are genuine (Keita, 2007). In addition, the reelection of President Obama is a reflection of the aforementioned argument that people in the US are growing to accept the minorities and acknowledging their talent and merit.
There has been a shift in the US policy framework which is now race based. This poses the central flow of controlling the immigration flow in the US. Another major challenge is that of integration. When a country revises its policies, it has to assure that the environment and culture of the host country is facilitative of assimilation of these people in the new culture. This poses another question on the debate of contrary views on integration. There are those who believe in multiculturalism and acceptance of different cultures, and those who are strong advocates of cultural unity and rejection of contrary views. Disparity may lead to social conflicts and unrest.
There are social merits associated with diversity of a society. This is true because a truly diverse nation living in harmony is a reflection of the epitome of humanistic values of the nation. This means that people belonging to different cultures and religions are protected, their rights are valued and their existence is appreciated (Waters, 2006). In addition, it leads to increase in productivity and profitability. This is true because people coming from different countries bring with them local expertise and valuable market insights that can be applied to the US market. The diversity means that there is a larger pool of talent and only the best shall be able to survive thereby assuring improvement in quality.
In order to understand the importance of devising policies to assure cultural pluralism, it is imperative to say that cultural pluralism is the biggest competitive advantage in the future. One of the best ways of doing so is teaching and learning. Cultural pluralism is an
